Paving means



Aug. 28, 1934. F. R. HIGLEY 1,971,856

PAVI NG MEANS Filed Dec. 9, 1932 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYSAug. 28, 1934. R HIGLEY 1,971,856

PAVING MEANS Filed Dec. 9. 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS1934- F. R. HIGLEY 1,971,856

PAVING MEANS Filed Dec. 9, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug.28, 1934 unit's stares;

PATENT caries.

This inventionrelates to means forcovering a surface with a paving matof interlocked slabs, as of concrete or the like, andmore particularlytheinvention has to do with the separator-means if by which a grill isconstructed, overlaid upon the surface to becovered, which grillcomprises a form in which the concrete is poured.

Such a general arrangement and the method ofits operation is disclosedin the copending application of Carl C. H. Tommerup, Serial No. 568,966,filed October 15, 1931. An improved grill construction is disclosed inmy copending application, Serial No. 646,548, filed of even dateherewith. In both saidapplications a grillforming separator unit isshown having a plurality of angular-1y relatedstretches integrallyjoined by bends; and the arrangement is such that the grill, preferablyof hexagonal pattern, may be made up from an assembly of the units.

Where the sides of the pattern figures, that is, the sides of the slabs,are to be of length beyond a certain point the units would become ofsuch size as to be awkward inhandling. The principal object of thepresent invention is to overcome these difficulties by forming the grillof separate units one for each side, so that in a hexagonal grillpatter-n, a complete hexagon will be defined by six units.

The exact nature of this invention together with further objects andadvantages thereof will be apparent from the following description takeninconnection with the-accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 illustratesan elementary form of panel member; Fig, 2- is a detail plan viewshowing the manner ofinterlock-ing three such panel members; Fig. -3 isa plan View showing a grill formed by so interlocking a plurality ofsuch panel members; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation as in the plane ofline 4-4, Fig. 2, illustrating a manner of securing the grill asupon'the ground over which it is laid; Fig. 5 is an elevation viewcorresponding with Fig. 1, iliustrating a modification; Fig. 6 is a topview of the modification of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a transverse section asvin the plane of line 7-7,. Fig. 5; Fig. 8 is a View corresponding. toFig. 1 but showing another modification; Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailtaken as from above, showing the manner of assembly of units like" thatof Fig. 8; Fig. Io-is a transverse section as in the plane of line10-10, Fig. 8; Fig. II is aplan view illustrating a hexagonal grillassemibly of units as shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 12' illustrates amodification oi the form of 8 Fig. 13 is aview: corresponding to Fig. 4but-with referenceto the modification of Fig. 1 2; Fig. 14' shows ablank for another modification; Fig. 15 illustrates the manner ofassembly of this modificati'on;- Fig. 16' is an enlarged section-a1detail as inthe plane of line 1-6-1-6, Fig. 11 Fig. l l illustra-tes agrill made up from the modification of Figs. 14-16; and Figs. 18-21inclusive are views corresponding with Figs. 14-17 inclusive butillustrating still another modification. With reference nowto'thedrawings andparticularly to- Figs. 1-4 thereof, the member 1 isof sheetmetal cut as from a blank of strip stock. Its ends are generally slopingas indicated and provided at their bottom edges with projectinghookmembers 2i. On the lower edge of the unit isprovided a pair of slots3' sloping with the same angularity asthat of the endsof the unit,directed toward the upperextremities of the-sloping ends, andextendinginwardly as-far asthe bases of the hook members-'2'. I f Withreferenceto Fig; 2 it will be apparent that a plurality of the units maybe assembled overlaid upon a supporting surface, in radially extendingrelation, by interlocking their contiguous ends, one end of each unit.The hookmember 2 of each unit engages; the slot 3 of the next unit onone side, and the slot 3- of the first unit is engaged by the hookmember of another unit onthe other side. In Fig. Z three unitsare shownso joined; disposed at 120 from each other, the hook of each unitengaging the slot of one of the other units and its slot being engagedby the heck of the third unit. It will be observed that each of theunits thus assembled has slope with reference to the general planecommon-to the units, so that at the joint there is defined a pyramid,triangular where the assembly is of three units as'illustratedi v 1 Byrepeating the operations which form the joint of Fig. 2-, making asimilar joint at the outer end of each of-the three units there shownand continuing suchoperations, a grill of hexagonal pattern wiil beformed as shown in Fig. 3-. For each hexagon of the pattern, three ofits sideformingunits 1 will slope inwardly and the other three outwardlyand adjacent units of the hexagon will slope in opposite directions.

' After the grill is thus formed and concrete or 'similarfiller ispoured thereover up: tothe level ofthe topiedges'of the units,andallowed to set, obviously-- there will be-produced a mat of hexagenalslabs each-rigid in itself but each separated from its adjacent slabs bythe separator units surrounding it. Each slab-is interlocked againstlowering from the mat, by its three alternate edges overlying three ofits adjacent slabs, and

is interlocked against raising from the mat, by its underlying relationwith the other three surrounding slabs. The mat may thus haveflexibility as a whole but no slab may be removed either upwardly ordownwardly. It is contemplated that the separator units be covered witha thin coating of heavy water-proofing material before use, so that inthe finished mat there is waterproofing between the slabs. However, theseparator units may be merely of steel so that in time they will rustout, leaving the slabs to bear directly against each other in theirinterlocking relation.

It will be observed that the upper edges of the separator membersdefine, in the upper face of the mat, a perfect hexagonal pattern, eachhexagon of which is equilateral. Consequently at each corner of eachslab there will remain after pouring, a hollow triangular pyramid havingits apex at the upper face of the mat. The aggregate volume of thesepyramids provides a saving in slab material.

The pyramidsmay also be used to secure the mat in position as shown inFig. 4. A stake 4 may be driven into the ground at each or any of thecorners and the assembly of the separator units may be made thereabout.Thus in effect in the completed slab its bottom surface will be recessedand fitted over the stakes to anchor the mat upon its supportingsurface.Such arrangement may be advisable where the mat is overlaid upon asloping bank.

Figs. 5-7 illustrate a modification of the separator shown in Figs. 1-4in that a curved deformation 5 is provided along the lower edge of theunit extending between the notches 3 thereof. The deformation provides alongitudinally extending bend which serves in the grill, to stiffen thestretches of the units between the joints at their ends. In the assemblythe units are laid so thatthe deflection of the deformations will be inthe direction toward the vertical as indicated in Fig. 7. Thus adjacentslabs, at the deflections 5, will have the lower corners of their edgesapproximately in section.

With reference now to Figs. 8-11 the unit as shown in. Fig. Sis providedwith two sets of slots 6, one set on each of its long edges, andits endsare cut inwardly at 7 to form generally a V-notch of sides correspondingin slope to the slope of the slots 6. Tabs 8 of length corresponding tothe slots 6 are provided at the extremities of the V- notches 7. Theunit isdeformed as at 9 on both edges, but oppositely on opposite edges,between the slots 6, in a manner generally similar to the deformations5. Three of these units may be joined in radially extending relation attheir contiguous ends, and with each in sloping relation with the commongeneral plane of the units as indicated in Fig. 9. In this assembly eachunit has one of its tabs 8 engaging one of the slots 6 of one of theadjacent units, and has its other tab 8 engaging the slot 6 of the otheradjacent unit. After the assembly the six tabs 8 of the joint are bentas along the dotted lines, Fig. 8, and as shown in Fig. 9, so that eachunit is interlocked at two places with both of the other two units ofthe joint. It will be observed from Fig. 9 that at the joint there arenow defined two regular triangular pyramids aligned apex to apex.

Fig. 11 illustrates a hexagonal grill made up of such separator units asshown Fig. 8 assembled as shown in Fig. 9, and with the offsets oftheirstrengthening deformations 9 as indicated in Fig. 10. The matwill bemade up by pouring over the grill as before, and as before willcomprise, when the poured material is set, hexagonal slabs interlockedgenerally as before. Each slab while generally hexagonal in each facewill now have in each face three side edges slightly longer than itsother three edges. The difference in length between the long and shortedges in each face will be that determined by the sizes of the bases ofthe described pyramids at the corners, in turn determined by the slopeof the units, and that determined by the slope of the unit ends andslots.

The modification of Fig. 12 is generally similar to that of Fig. 8 withthe exception that a generally circular recess 10 is provided at thebase of each end notch 7. Thus when the grill is assembled, asillustrated in Fig. 13 there will be a through vertical opening betweenthe pyramids of the joint through which a locating and securing stake 11may be driven before the pouring operation.

With reference now to the modification of Figs. 14-17 inclusive, theunit as indicated in Fig. 14 is notched at its end at 12 similarly tothe unit of Fig. 8 but is provided with a hook 13 and slot 14 in anarrangement similar to the unit of Fig. 1. In addition the unit isprovided with a longitudinal bend along the line 15 leading from thebase of the notch 12 so as to comprise a pair of angularly relatedpanels on opposite sides of the line 15. It will be observed that thepanel below this line comprises in substance the unit of Fig. 1.

.As shown in Fig. 15, the units are assembled with their lower panelsrelated exactly as in Fig. 2, their upper or angularly related panels,however, sloping in theopposite directions from the slopes of theirlower panels. Thus at the joint a pair of triangular pyramids aredefined as before, apex to apex, the bases of these pyramids defining aprism,.which was not true of the pyramids of Fig. 9. Particularly to benoted is that the units have strength throughout their lengths by thelongitudinally extending bends.

From an assembly of such units a hexagonal grill may be made up as shownin Fig. 17, and the grill overlying a supporting surface such as a plotof ground to be covered, it will serve as a form into which concrete orthe like may be poured as before, to produce a mat of slabs. The slabswill be intcrlocldng, each side of each slab being of V-form intransverse section. Alternate sides of each slab will be concave,however, and the other sides convex. Thus, in this arrangement each sideof each slab will have parts both overlying and underlying the adjacentslab side, and each slab will interlock with all of its surroundingslabs against displacement either upwardly or downwardly. 7

With reference now to the modification of Figs. 1821, the separator unitas illustrated in Fig. 18 is of V-form at its end, convexly, however, asdistinguished from the concave V-shape of the form of Fig. 14. Tonguesor tabs 16 are provided and slots 17 thereopposite and correspondinglysloped; and the unit is bent along a longitudinal line 18.

Assembly is now had as shown in Fig. 19, the tongues 16 of one unitbeing inserted through the slots 17 of one of the other units, and theslots 17 of the first unit similarly receiving the tongues 16 of thethird unit. After the assembly the projecting ends of the tongues 16'are bent down as indicated in Fig. 19 to lock the parts in theirassembled relation.

' It will be observed that at the joint there is now defined a pair ofregular triangular pyramids, base to base, or in other words a hollow ofsix 150 triangular sides. The grill formed of such an assembly is shownin Fig. 21, and a mat of hexagonal slabs is produced as before. Eachslab is interlocked along all of its sides, against both upward anddownward displacement, with the adj acent slabs. Both faces of the grillnow define perfect hexagonal series, so that the appearance of thefinished mat is similar to that in the case of Fig. 3. 7

What I claim is:

1. A unit of the class described comprising a substantially straightpanel member of sheet material having at each end means for assemblywith two other similar angularly related panels,

to provide mutual support for the joined panels in planes notperpendicular to the general common plane.

2. A unit of the class described comprising a panel member of sheetmaterial having at each of its ends means for assembly with two othersimilar angularly related panels, said panel being generally straight,but having longitudinally extending deformations to provide rigidity.

3. A unit of the class described comprising a panel member of sheetmaterial having at each end means for assembly with a pair of similarpanels equiangularly related, to provide mutual support for the joinedpanels in planes not perpendicular to the general common plane.

4. A grill of the class described, comprising a plurality of panelmembers arranged to form the elements of a continuous repeated pattern,each member being joined at its ends with the ends of a plurality ofsimilar members and being supported thereby in sloping relation with thegeneral plane of the grill.

5. A grill of the class described comprising a plurality of panelmembers arranged to form the elements of a hexagonal pattern, eachmember being joined at its ends with the ends of a pair bf similarmembers and being supported thereby in sloping relation with the generalplane of the grill.

6. In a grill of the class described and com prising a plurality ofsubstantially straight panel members arranged to form the elements of acontinuous repeated. pattern, means integral with said panel members forjoining their contiguous ends in mutual supporting relation, with thepanel members in sloping relation with the gen- 'eral plane of thegrill.

7. In a grill of the class described and comprising a plurality ofsubstantially straight panel members arranged each to form one of theelements of a hexagonal pattern, means integral with said panel membersfor joining their contiguous ends in mutual supporting relation, withthe panel members in sloping relation with the general plane of thegrill.

8. A grill of the class described, comprising a plurality ofsubstantially straight panel members arranged to form the elements of ahexagonal pattern, with the edges of said members in one face of thegrill defining a pattern of perfect hexagons and the members in slopingrelation with the general plane of the grill, and interlocking means atthe contiguous ends of said members arranged for mutual support of themembers in their described disposition.

9. In a grill of the classdescribed, a plurality of panel membersarranged with an end of each contiguous with an end of each of theothers, said contiguous ends being arranged to so interlock that foreach member one end has a part overlying an end part of one other memberand a part underlying an end part of another member.

10. In a grill of the class described, a plurality of panel membersarranged in generally radial relation, with an end of each contiguouswith an end of each of the others, and each of said members lying in aplane sloping with relation to the general common plane of the members,said contiguous ends being arranged to interlock with pyramidalcharacteristic so that for each member one end has a part overlying anend part of one other member and a part underlying an end part ofanother member.

11. A unit of the class described comprising a 'generally straightmember of sheet material having at its ends means for assembly with twoother similar angularly related members to provide mutual support forthe joined members, said member having a longitudinally extending bendproviding a pair of angularly related panels on opposite sides of thebend.

